Chapter 6

Basic Motivation
Concepts

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
S T E P H E N P. R O B B I N S
E L E V E N T H E D I T I O N
2005 Prentice Hall Inc. WWW.PRENHALL.COM/ROBBINS PowerPoint Presentation
All rights reserved. by Charlie Cook
 Defining Motivation

Motivation
The processes that account for an individuals
intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward
attaining a goal.

Key Elements
1. Intensity: how hard a person tries
2. Direction: toward beneficial goal
3. Persistence: how long a person tries

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 Hierarchy of Needs Theory (Maslow)

Hierarchy of Needs Theory

There is a hierarchy of five needsphysiological,
safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization; as each
need is substantially satisfied, the next need
becomes dominant.

Self-Actualization
The drive to become what one is capable of becoming.

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 Theory X and Theory Y (Douglas McGregor)

Theory X
Assumes that employees dislike work, lack ambition, avoid
responsibility, and must be directed and coerced to perform.

Theory Y
Assumes that employees like work, seek responsibility, are
capable of making decisions, and exercise self-direction and
self-control when committed to a goal.

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 Two-Factor Theory (Frederick Herzberg)

Two-Factor (Motivation-Hygiene) Theory

Intrinsic factors are related to job satisfaction, while
extrinsic factors are associated with dissatisfaction.

Hygiene Factors
Factorssuch as company policy and administration,
supervision, and salarythat, when adequate in a
job, placate workers. When factors are adequate,
people will not be dissatisfied.

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 ERG Theory (Clayton Alderfer)

ERG Theory
There are three groups of core needs: existence,
relatedness, and growth.

Core Needs Concepts:

Existence: provision of More than one need can
basic material be operative at the same
requirements. time.
Relatedness: desire for If a higher-level need
relationships. cannot be fulfilled, the
Growth: desire for desire to satisfy a lower-
personal development. level need increases.

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 David McClellands Theory of Needs

Need for Achievement Need for Affiliation

The drive to excel, to achieve The desire for friendly
in relation to a set of and close personal
standards, to strive to relationships.
succeed.

Need for Power nPow

The need to make others
behave in a way that they
would not have behaved
otherwise.
nAch nAff

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 Cognitive Evaluation Theory

Cognitive Evaluation Theory

Providing an extrinsic reward for behavior that
had been previously only intrinsically rewarding
tends to decrease the overall level of motivation.
The theory may only be relevant to jobs that are
neither extremely dull nor extremely interesting.

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 Goal-Setting Theory (Edwin Locke)

Goal-Setting Theory
The theory that specific and difficult goals, with
feedback, lead to higher performance.

Factors influencing the goalsperformance

relationship:
Goal commitment, adequate self-efficacy, task
characteristics, and national culture.

Self-Efficacy
The individuals belief that he or she is capable of
performing a task.
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 Reinforcement Theory

The assumption that behavior is a function of its

consequences.

Concepts:
Behavior is environmentally caused.
Behavior can be modified (reinforced) by
providing (controlling) consequences.
Reinforced behavior tends to be repeated.

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 Job Design Theory

Job Characteristics
Model Characteristics:
Identifies five job 1. Skill variety
characteristics and their
2. Task identity
relationship to personal
and work outcomes. 3. Task significance
4. Autonomy
5. Feedback

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 Job Design Theory (contd)
Job Characteristics Model
Jobs with skill variety, task identity, task significance,
autonomy, and for which feedback of results is given,
directly affect three psychological states of employees:
Knowledge of results
Meaningfulness of work
Personal feelings of responsibility for results
Increases in these psychological states result in
increased motivation, performance, and job
satisfaction.

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 Job Design Theory (contd)

Skill Variety
The degree to which a job requires a variety of
different activities.

Task Identity
The degree to which the job requires completion of
a whole and identifiable piece of work.

Task Significance
The degree to which the job has a substantial
impact on the lives or work of other people.
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 Job Design Theory (contd)

Autonomy
The degree to which the job provides substantial
freedom and discretion to the individual in
scheduling the work and in determining the
procedures to be used in carrying it out.

Feedback
The degree to which carrying out the work activities
required by a job results in the individual obtaining
direct and clear information about the effectiveness
of his or her performance.

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 Computing a Motivating Potential Score

People who work on jobs with high core dimensions are

generally more motivated, satisfied, and productive.
Job dimensions operate through the psychological states in
influencing personal and work outcome variables rather
than influencing them directly.

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 Job Design Theory (contd)

Social Information Processing (SIP) Model

The fact that people respond to their jobs as they
perceive them rather than to the objective jobs
themselves.

Concept:
Employee attitudes and behaviors are
responses to social cues by others.

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 Social Information Processing Model (SIP)

Concepts of the SIP Model

Employees adopt attitudes and behaviors in response
to the social cues provided by others (e.g., coworkers)
with whom they have contact.
Employees perception of the characteristics of their
jobs is as important as the actual characteristics of
their jobs.

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 Equity Theory

Equity Theory
Individuals compare their job inputs and outcomes
with those of others and then respond to eliminate
any inequities.

Referent
Comparisons:
Self-inside
Self-outside
Other-inside
Other-outside

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 Equity Theory (contd)

Choices for dealing with inequity:

1. Change inputs (slack off)
2. Change outcomes (increase output)
3. Distort/change perceptions of self
4. Distort/change perceptions of others
5. Choose a different referent person
6. Leave the field (quit the job)

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 Equity Theory (contd)

Propositions relating to inequitable pay:

1. Overrewarded hourly employees produce
more than equitably rewarded employees.
2. Overrewarded piece-work employees
produce less, but do higher quality piece
work.
3. Underrewarded hourly employees produce
lower quality work.
4. Underrewarded employees produce larger
quantities of lower-quality piece work than
equitably rewarded employees

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 Equity Theory (contd)

Distributive Justice
Perceived fairness of the amount and allocation of
rewards among individuals.

Procedural Justice
The perceived fairness of the process to determine
the distribution of rewards.

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 Expectancy Theory

Expectancy Theory (Victor Vroom)

The strength of a tendency to act in a certain way
depends on the strength of an expectation that the
act will be followed by a given outcome and on the
attractiveness of that outcome to the individual.

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 Expectancy Theory Relationships

EffortPerformance Relationship
The probability that exerting a given amount of effort
will lead to performance.
PerformanceReward Relationship
The belief that performing at a particular level will lead
to the attainment of a desired outcome.
RewardsPersonal Goals Relationship
The degree to which organizational rewards satisfy an
individuals goals or needs and the attractiveness of
potential rewards for the individual.

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